Conventional delivery beds typically have a pair of spaced foot rests at one end thereof, which preferably are positionally adjustable to facilitate use of the bed with patients of different sizes. However, the adjustment mechanisms in these foot rests are typically rather complex, and may for example include a gear mechanism. The complex nature of the adjustment mechanism frequently provides a variety of locations which can harbor dust, dirt, blood or the like, and thus these mechanisms are relatively difficult and time consuming to thoroughly clean, which is a problem in view of the fact that delivery beds are typically used in environments where cleanliness is essential. Moreover, the complex nature of the adjustment mechanisms frequently makes it timeconsuming or even impractical to disassemble the foot rests for purposes of cleaning, which can in and of itself restrict access to the adjustment mechanism so as to make the cleaning process even more time consuming and difficult.
These conventional beds also typically have a removable pad which extends between and is supported in part by the foot rests. However, some additional support structure is invariably provided between the foot rests to support the center portion of the pad, usually in the form of a support member which extends between and is temporarily coupled to the foot rests, or a support member which is temporarily coupled to and projects outwardly from the bed itself. The need for the additional support part is a disadvantage of these conventional arrangements, not only because of the time required to attach and detach the support part, but also because of the fact that when the support part is detached it is necessary to find a place to store it, and if it does not happen to be stored on the bed itself, it may become misplaced and thus prevent safe use of the removable pad.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a delivery bed having foot rests with adjustment mechanisms which are simple in structure and easy to disassemble, in order to facilitate rapid disassembly and cleaning of the foot rests, and in order to reduce the cost of the foot rest.
A further object is to provide a removable pad for a delivery bed which can be supported entirely by the foot rests with no intervening support structure for the pad between the foot rests.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a removable support pad which can be releasably fastened to foot rests of a delivery bed in a manner which does not interfere with the tucking-in of sheets placed on the delivery bed.